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Kids & School

Starting school, the school year, routines, learning and the gear that goes with all of it.

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Latest in Kids & School
School backpack with lining caught at its zip, a broken strap buckle and matching repair parts on a table.
australian families

Repairing a zip, strap or buckle on a school bag

A stuck zip, loose strap and cracked buckle need different repairs. Identify…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Worn and usable school stationery sorted into two groups on a kitchen table beside a notepad.
australian schools

Restocking stationery mid-year without a second shop

A mid-year stocktake, matched against the original school list, tells you what…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A worn school backpack with intact straps and a small repair patch beside a lunchbox and blank school books.
australian families

Making a backpack last more than one year

A new school year does not automatically need a new backpack. Check…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Black school shoes on a bench, one turned sideways to show worn heel tread and a separating sole edge.
back to school

When to replace school shoes

Scuffed toes do not tell the whole story. Check the fit and…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
White school shirts laid out for a collar check beside a basket of whites, with navy uniform items kept separately.
australian households

Keeping white school shirts white

White uniform care starts before the wash. Separate suitable shirts, check collars…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Educational toy sets stored separately in a cupboard beside an unfinished block structure on a dining-table tray.
australian families

Storing and rotating educational toys

Keep puzzles, building sets and learning games ready for their next outing…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Pencils, glue, scissors and plain exercise books beside an open pencil case on a kitchen table.
australian schools

What stationery a primary school child actually uses

Match pencils, books and classroom extras to your child's actual school list.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An empty school backpack with open compartments beside a damp cloth on a laundry bench.
australian families

Waterproofing and cleaning a school bag

A school bag needs a cleaning method that suits its construction. Follow…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A family device agreement
devices

A family device agreement that actually holds

An agreement written by one parent at 9pm and announced at breakfast…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A folded stack of plain school uniform on a bed with a wide brim hat resting on top.
back to school

School uniforms: what a year costs and how to spend less

Most families buy too many of the cheap items and not enough…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A simple hand-drawn chart stuck low on a fridge with some boxes ticked and a pen hanging beside it.
australian families

Chore charts that kids actually use

Most chore charts die in week three. The four reasons are consistent…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A stack of plates on a low table beside a folded cloth and a basket of unmatched socks.
australian families

Age-appropriate chores from 2 to 16

Children are capable of far more than most households ask, and the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A child's bedroom at dusk with a block-out blind drawn against bright evening light, a lamp on low and two books on the bed.
australian families

Getting kids to bed without the two-hour battle

Most bedtime battles are caused by something that happened earlier in the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Three clear lidded storage tubs on a high shelf above a shallow open basket holding a few plain toys.
australian families

Toy rotation: how to make the same toys last

Children with fewer toys available at once play with them for longer.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A phone in a plain case resting on a kitchen bench beside a charging cable plugged into a wall socket.
australian families

When should a child get their first phone

There is no correct age and anyone who gives you one is…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A thin school reader open on a lounge room floor beside a small timer and a cushion in afternoon light.
australian families

Home readers: how to survive the nightly routine

Home reading turns into a nightly argument for a predictable reason. Ten…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A glass of layered liquids beside a jar with a sprouting bean and an open exercise book with a pencil.
australian families

Free STEM activities using household items

Sixteen activities using only what is already in the house, sorted by…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Pasta pieces arranged in four rows of three on a kitchen table beside a pencil and a blank sheet of paper.
australian families

Times tables that actually stick

There are far fewer facts to learn than the grid suggests, once…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team